Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-11-25

whom shame or idleness made reIniss were as
freely admitted as they who had made little
pitiful attempts at deccncy. The talk was
mild and characteristic chiefly occupied with
the past or the future as 1t mi hit have been.
On the hosts right hand sat a mcn in rusty
black, with nervous hands that clutched at
things and trembled as they held glass or
fork or napkin. He had never been a GRIM
inal, never willingly harmed any one, never
entertained a deliberately unkind thought,
and yet to all intents and purposes he was
murderer and suicide. His spirit was dead,
or in its last agonies and of this he was
dimly conscious in a despairing sort of way.
On the hosts left, the other place of honor
and what a significant distinction to &C.
cupy those prominent seats-sat the jauntiest
individual of the whole party At first sight
it would have been difficult to say why he
had his share at this banquet of the ruined,
disappointed, bereaved and afflicted. 1t was
not his look nor his dress that told the secret,
but his words. He was bett er dressed than any
of his fellows, and self satisfied expression
was upon his face. But you soon saw blank
in the midst of that self satisfaction-the lack
of something, which mysterious something
would have just put him beyond the pale of
our friends circle. He talked louder than the
rest and held out the comfort of irresponsi-
bilitv in the present and humiliation here
after-no God to restrain us now. and none
to judge us later; but the lack of that some
thing made his face grow ugly and hard as
he expounded his theories, and his own APP
pearance was but a poor argument in favor
of his theories.
A curious rivalry between many of the
guests attracted my attention. Each thought
his own misfortune the heaviest, and was
jealous of the consideration which another
won. Some even flung it into the faces of
certain others that when they were enjoying
prosperity they had been appealed to in vain.
Any cant about equality in spite of loss of
money was promptly resented by those who
had been in the attitude of solicitors. This
feast was no good place at which to air fine
talk not supported by fine character. The
restrictions which obtain in society less
honest of speech, though more polished, were
laid aside and each one spoke his mind. All
told their worldly circumstances quite
plainly.
One said that he lived with his wife, three
children and mother-in-law in two rooms in
an unwholesome tenement house, and earned
IS a week in a slop shop selling rotten cloth
ing to greenhorns.
Another said 81 started in life with the
notion of being a great author. am over
40 now, and glad to get SO week in a book
store l have covered reams of paper and
made about 81 900 altogether in little sums,
but no one knows my name l carried a
novel and an epic from one publishing house
to another for ten years, and never could
get any editor even to read them. am try
ing to save little money now to get the
poem published after my death, with a little
autobiography which may teach the world
what it has lost, and make people sorry that
they let such a man die miserable death
after so disappointing a life"
"They say some people have forced them
selves on the public by the manner of their
DEATH" said a wild, melancholy looking man
by the authors side, land think it would be
worth while to try such scene to make my
Romeo and Juliet sell"
you talk of death like a child" said
croaking voice across the table Here am I,
an old woman, once Minnie ST. Angel, the
famous actress. but none the less a starving.
broken down drudge now. Never despair
while you are young; it is only the old who
know what trouble is To have been some
one and then fall to being nobody, that is
the hardest thing of all, much harder than to
have been unknown all your life"
''Well, think it is harder for those who
never had brief hour of success at all" said
q thin woman. Il was the daughter of a
theatre hack, and was on the stage from
child But as grew up plain and not clever
l was used in all the common parts and never
knew what it was to have an individuality.
l have never had a home and since my father
died have never even had friend. Now
am wardrobe woman in low theatre, and
glad-yes, thankful-to have the place, too"
1T is hard to work for no pay" said a
rough voice opposite. II was a soldier of
Napoleon's as lad, fought in Algeria and in
Russia; and because took part in some plot
they called it revolutionary lost my little
pension, and starved in consequence. ran
away, and once here could find nothing to
do and am trying to beg money enough to
buy hand organ and camp stooln